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Hawaii Golf Holidays
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South Pacific Golfing Holidays
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Hawaii golf holidays have a reputation as being the most spectacular and challenging in the world, as well as the most expensive! With over 30 championship courses manicured to perfection, designed by the great and carved from valleys or sculptured from volcanic lava flows, Hawaii golf courses are a golfers dream. The one draw back is that golf carts are compulsory at almost every golf course.
Green fees at all but a couple of golf courses are open to the general public and range from US$30 to US$200 per round, typically US$125 with a US$30 discount if you are a guest at one of the registered hotels or resorts. Green fees are discounted slightly at most courses for play after 11am. Most golf clubs are quite particular about dress code and require soft spiked shoes (available for hire), collared shirt and at least Bermuda length shorts. Facilities are generally excellent at all golf clubs with golf club hire, practice ranges and golf lessons available, the more exclusive golf clubs having their own golf academies.
The main island of Oahu has the most varied and challenging golf courses, with the most spectacular being created in the valleys of the stunning mountain ranges. Golf courses on Kauai and Maui are mostly immaculate resort courses with ocean views. The Big Island has the best reputation for unusual golf courses many featuring volcanic rocks as fairway obstacles and dramatic coastal cliffs.
Oahu Golf Courses
There are more golf courses on Oahu than the rest of the State of Hawaii combined. In fact, there are 37 courses in all on this small island. However, golf on Oahu seems less accessible than the other islands. Eight courses are for military personnel only, six are extremely busy and often fully booked municipal courses, nine are private golf clubs, leaving just 14 public or resort courses for holiday golfers. Consider the popularity of golf amongst local Hawaiians and the hoards of Japanese holiday-makers that visit Oahu and getting a tee time might not always be easy, especially at the municipal or public courses near Waikiki where rounds can be painfully slow.
Beyond Waikiki are several outstanding and challenging courses that will literally take your breath away. Heading these exhilarating courses is the Koolau Golf Club at the foot of the Pali Mountain range in the south east of Oahu about half an hour drive from Waikiki. From the back tees, Koolau is considered the worlds most challenging golf course with long carries off the tees and impenetrable rough, and from the more forgiving forward tees (there are still 10 forced carries of over 110 yards), Hawaii's most scenic golf course. Nearby Luana Hills Country Club with its signature island par 3, also enjoys spectacular fairway views of the Koolau mountains.
Equally spectacular is the challenging Makaha Resort Golf Club in the dry north west of Oahu and adjacent to this, the cheaper (US$100) and shorter public course at the Makaha Country Club. Both courses offer great views of the rugged Waianae mountain range and being an hour drive from Honolulu along the west coast, both courses are refreshingly quiet.
Along the south coast of Oahu, west of Honolulu, are the manicured resort courses of Ko'Olina, Coral Creek and the Hawaii Prince Golf Club at Ewa Beach featuring sculptured lakes and man-made waterfalls, dainty looking bunkers, lots of palm trees and golf clinics. Another resort course, though more natural, is on the north shore at Turtle Bay. With 36-holes of championship golf designed around the natural Punaho'olapa Marsh, this is a very tough but not especially scenic course although there are three attractive coastal holes.
One of the best value courses on Oahu is the scenic Olomana Golf Links on Oahu's windward east coast with twin mountains. A compact par-71 course, Olamana offers 11 of its holes with water hazards.
For beginners not looking for a challenge but rather a place for practice, there is no better course than the 18-hole Bay View Golf Park offers mostly par 3's with a few par 4's as well as two miniature 18-hole putting courses and a 48-stall driving range.
Oahu's most popular municipal course is the Alii Wai Golf Course just minutes walk from Waikiki hotels across the canal. This municipal course offers excellent value at just US$50 a round but getting a round can be difficult - locals can book one week in advance but tourists can only book 3-days in advance and usually by that time all the tee times are booked out! This is the same system used by all of Oahu's municipal courses which is why golf on Oahu is less accessible than the other islands...
Kauai Golf Courses
Kauai golf courses are less prominent than the other islands with only seven 18-hole clubs, but the spectacular settings of Princeville compete with those on Oahu.
Princeville in the north of Kauai, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., offers 54-holes from ocean front to mountain views. With exhilarating views of the tropical mountains to the north, the challenging Prince Course is regularly voted amongst the top golf courses in Hawaii and is not for conservative golfers. Not cheap.
In the south east corner of Kauai, near the town of Lihue, are the Kauai Lagoons courses designed by Jack Nicklaus. The Kiele course is the more challenging, and more expensive at US$170, with bunkers galore and many holes with either lakes or ocean in play. The more forgiving Mokihana Course has wide open fairways and few hazards making this a good alternative for relaxing with fees at a reasonable US$120.
The resort area of Poipu on the south coast has a fine 18-hole championship / resort course that has been honoured with the PGA Grand Slam of golf as well as the Kiahuna Golf Club, a "Disneyland-style" 18-hole course meandering through several lakes and with lots of unusual hazards including lava tubes, and spider caves. The best attraction is its green fees at just US$75 a round or US$265 a week.
The cheapest course on the island is at Wailua, on the east coast, a municipal course stretching along a lovely coastline which has regularly been voted amongst the top ten municipal courses in America. One of the joys at Wailua is that you can actually walk yourself around the course!
Maui Golf Courses
All but 5 of the 15 golf courses on Maui are classified as "resort courses", fantastically manicured and set alongside several elegant resorts.
The pristine courses of the Wailua region in South Maui are overtly grand, feature man-made lakes and are manicured to perfection but lack the wild and natural edge that feature at the Makena courses a little further to the south. Inland at the new Dunes at Maui Lani is a links course influenced by the classical Scottish links courses and at just US$95 a round is one of the better valued golf courses in Hawaii.
Contrasting to these green fees is the US$220 per round green fee at Kapalua Plantation Course in the north of West Maui. One of three championship courses at Kapalua, the 7,263-yard Plantation Course, designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, is the venue for the first PGA Tour of the season. To the south, in the popular resort location of Kaanapali, are two forgiving courses ideal for holiday golf. The south course is short and appreciably easy as far as Hawaiian golf courses are rated, although many holes are overlooked from the road and can be distracting. The most challenging aspect of the north course are its mischievous two tiered greens. At US$140-150 per round, these courses are affordable but by no means value for money.
For just US$30 per round (golf cart optional at US$8), the Waiehu Municipal course on the north coast offers excellent value (although busy on weekends and public holidays) and a game of golf that is not sole-destroying for beginners.
One of the unique courses on Maui is at Pukalani in central Maui. At 1,200 feet high, this is the coolest golf course on Maui with refreshing winds and stunning views of the West Maui mountains. The only drawback of this course is being susceptible to afternoon rains and cloud.
Big Island Golf Courses
Two unique courses can be found on the neighbouring island of Lanai. The Experience at Koele rises high into the hills with undulating lies, great views of the surrounding islands and a hole that drops 100-feet from tee to green. The challenge at Manele features undulations, slopes and blind shots. Both courses are US$200 per round.
Of the 14 major Big Island golf courses, eight are located along the north west coastal region of Kohala, each one alongside an exclusive International resort. This flat and rather featureless area is dominated by three elements. The towering Mauna Kea, with its snow-capped summit (Dec-Apr) at 13,796 ft., which shelters the region from cloud and rain; the volcanic rocky landscape created by the eruption of Mauna Kea in 1859 which makes for an unusual fairway obstacle; and the rugged coastline across which golfers must sometimes play their tee shots onto the greens.
Some of the more prominent courses here include the 36-holes links course at Waikoloa Beach Resort; the natural setting of the Arnold Palmer / Ed Seay designed Hapuna Golf Course with its tough tee shots; and the challenging Robert Trent Jones designed Mauna Kea Course with its tough approach shots. These resort courses are open to the general public for a staggering US$150 per round average green fee (includes golf cart) and a discount of around US$50 if you are a guest at one of the neighbouring resorts.
In the hills of Mt. Hualalai inland from Kailua Town on the west coast is the 7,100 yard Hualalai Golf Club designed by Jack Nicklaus and location for the Senior PGA Championship in January each year. Although a private course, handicapped golfers can play most days of the week.
More reasonable golf is available at Sea Mountain (US$42) and Volcano (US$62), both in the south, the Waimea Country Club in the hills on the north side of the island and the very reasonable prices municipal courses in Hilo on the east coast (US$30-40).
Hawaii Golf Resorts Listings
Hawaii Tour Companies
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